FL4K needs some fixing

Maybe if I post something, someone will read it and actually think about this. Maybe not. But you have to try.

I have been playing the borderlands games since 1. They are honestly my favorite game series, even the ones that have been not so great. Including 3. But we won’t get on a rant about that today. When 3 came out I chose FL4K as my guy to play. I have tried the other vault hunters and yet I still go back to FL4K. The choice was made before the game even came out, it was never a bandwagon choice or because he was going to end up to be the most OP at game start. But lately I find myself extremely frustrated playing him and not as much enjoyment. He needs some fixing and balancing in order to keep him an option for most to play. The VH’s are very unbalanced right now when it comes to DPS and Survivability. They nerfed the sht out of FL4K and Moze in the beginning and made everyone switch to this Amara and Zane bandwagon. When you compare all of those, you can see why. Zane has turned into this easy god mode play. Amara very similar. Where as alot of the FL4K’s and Moze’s are frustrated and dying all the time. The balance between these 4 just doesn’t exist anymore which was why the nerfed in the first place. But all that happened was the tables turned. FL4K is a lot of fun and I like the different ways you can play him and his builds. But he can’t survive, he can’t stand up. It is frustrating and takes the fun out of playing him. I personally have tried everything. I am not a new gamer, and don’t consider myself to suck lol. They continue to fix everyone else, have slowly made them god it seems. yet FL4K just gets left behind, I think it’s because they think “well he can hit hard” yeah but have you played Zane? I mean it’s a joke. Zane hits hard, and doesn’t go down. So I am not sure what the idea is here, but the community has shifted to this bandwagon sht and not WHO they WANT to play. They just don’t want to keep dying all the time. I just really hope this is on their minds and somewhere in the cards because the higher levels we go, the harder FL4K will fall. He has lost most of his players and that screams a big message to me. FIX HIM.

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Fl4k is fine they can do every content with a ton of builds. If everyone wants to hop on the meta train who cares just play how you want. Also there are plenty of ways to help Fl4k survive use them.

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His survivability sucks lol. Not much else to say there. Regardless of the train, the VH’s should not have that big of a gap. The gap is too huge in this game.

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Go read something else, it’s really easy? Since you think you can teach me so much about mechanics I am already aware of, I guess I can teach you how to click on another forum? It’s not complaining it’s a fact. Widely thought fact. It’s just that simple. The game is broken and so are VH mechanics in so many ways in all of them. This isn’t new or surprising to anyone else, might want to get on that bandwagon. I posted a topic, dont sit here and be petty just leave the topic lol.

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FL4K’s survivability can range from bad to decent to good (not on par with those others, of course), it depends on how you play around it and skill tree choices. The regen skills do need a little boost and things like Rage and Recover could be a bit stronger. Other than that, they don’t need god mode/busted lifesteal or anything of the sort (as of yet, since we don’t know where the game is going exactly)

FL4K has had stronger builds than unnerfed Guerrillas In The Mist for a while. Whoever left FL4K because of that is just losing out on them.

Reflect about this for some seconds.

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His issues are more skills not working as intended/enemy targeting is poorly done. Enemies will ignore invis, enemies will ignore taunt, and some pretty good skills still don’t work right. Fl4k also has no shield skills at all. Only damage reduction and health. That being said it makes him high skill level, the only of the vault hunters honestly, and I’d rather see his skills fixed before they change him.

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Keep it civil please, folks.

Also, this seems to be a repeat of at least one of the following threads:

Maybe consider expanding on points there?

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I hear ya. Well said argument and agreement lol. I think the regen for him could just be better. I have played every FL4K you can and trust me I totally agree if you left FL4K because of the fade away crap in the beginning you are just dumb lol. I love Gamma the most I think. But he needs some health in his life lol. I don’t want god mode by any means, I just dont get why they have that for others. I mean then tone the others down, do something, but make it a bit more balanced between them or it will continue the way the community has been and it’s just not good for the game or the characters. I know FL4K the best for me, and you can tell he just needs some tweaks for survivability and he would be one of the greater VHs again. But yeah not knowing where the game is going makes me question him more honestly.

Totally agree with those points too 100%. I don’t want FL4K to “change” trust me. But man does he fall hard and often, and there really isn’t much you can do about it. Even with the different combinations of gear, he just falls fast and hard. It becomes frustrating, where as you can jump on another VH and cruise control through the game. I guess to me it just doesn’t make any sense lol.

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This does seem to bit of a new mentality for BL3.

Zero was squishy, and most of the time other VHs did similar damage (Zero hit higher, but enemies only have so much health so it was about the same-ish), yet I don’t recall seeing so much fuss over Zero being glassy. People got used to spamming deception, transfusion grenades, or Moxxi weapons to keep him going.

Same with Aurelia. Athena and Jack both gave her more than a run for her money. And yes, the community was more vocal about Aurelia’s survival, but for the most part there seemed to be an acceptance that she was the glass cannon and you had to use the tools she had to the fullest. You needed to freeze things, you needed the right shield, and you wanted transfusion grenades.

I think it’s fair to say that FL4K is this game’s glass cannon, and that FL4K has far more tools than their predecessors did. FL4K has Zero’s move speed and invisibility, Aurelia’s DR and healing, and even their own new layer of defense with the taunts. Like in the previous games, there are characters that compete damage wise with FL4K, the extent to which I leave to the math nerds unless @Ratore can give a very loose estimate. I guess I just don’t see it as a problem. If FL4K were the lowest DPS character then I could see a bit more reason for taking a second look, but FL4K isn’t hurting for damage, and there are plenty of tools in the kit and gear to keep them afloat.

The best fix for FL4K’s survival would just be to make transfusion grenades in this game better. It wouldn’t let them facetank (not every VH needs to) but it would be more than enough to keep topped off during combat.

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The preferred pronouns when referring to Fl4k are ‘they/them’.

Just fyi.

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I finally decided to level my Fl4k. It’s a joke how easy MH4 takedown and slaughter shafts are compared to Moze. If you die alot change your build or change your play style.

I am open to suggestions. I have played all characters and BL series forever. I am also part of some of the biggest discord groups and it’s a wide complaint. It just seems odd that many of us are crazy lol. anything is possible I guess. Easy for FL4K is a word I have never heard lol. Maybe at launch. But yeah I mean I would love to be able to have more survivability and am open to what people find helps that. besides telling me a stop gap cause that isn’t true at all.

And I am mainly talking playing FL4K in 3-4 player mode. Solo isn’t the same issues.

I never said anything about stop gap. I just said compared to Moze TTD is easy on Fl4k.

If you’re dying in multiplayer then I don’t know what to tell you. It’s even easier with any Vault Hunter

For single targets, I’ve good things about the safeguard. With the new SLAM GR perk, you can use that to get a bunch of DR. Combined with Snowdrift or last stand it may help for beefier targets without adds.

Also, which build are you using? I find this is a more common complaint with Rakk builds, which have the fewest means in the skill tree to mitigate or heal through damage. Fl4k’s healing is good at topping you off during a breather, not taking a constant barrage. If you’re getting pounded in the middle of a fight you may need to retreat behind cover for a sec and let your skills do their thing.

Also, use your pet. Aggro is a game of distance and damage. If you get out of enemy’s line of sight, they’ll lay off for a bit.

Singularities are a blessing. Keeping enemies of their feet will prevent them from damaging you. You can’t spam them, but if you find yourself taking too much damage in a group of mobs it’ll give you some space.

For beefy single targets, you just can’t get hit. Just like Zero, against some enemies you just need to avoid he damage at whatever cost. That’s where the Last Stand and Stopgaps come in, but you also have booster shields for a pick me up mid fight. A re-charger with boosters can be surprisingly effective at last minute saves.

There are a bunch of little things that all add up to big gains.

I wasn’t saying anyone specifically here was saying stop gap lol. I just mean a lot of times the advice is underwhelming lol. I am not here to argue or win the point at all, just to share and BS about it. Honestly, I just wanted gearbox to take a note and look at some stuff and give it some thought.

I run Gamma right now. Some situations don’t get me wrong I am fine, or I will be fine for a little while, but if I am hit? it takes my shield and one swoop and eventually health. I get back up, but if i go down too quick ya know the timer is out! lol. I am not really sure if I am doing something wrong or not, when I bought it the XBOX discord community and saw how many people agreed or better yet abandoned FL4K completely it just seemed wrong somehow, I would love for more people to play him again and he just got a bad rep now. Me personally? I want to main him always, but i am tired of going down in situations i feel i shouldn’t be

With Gamma? Are you using Red Fang? Its the Seein Dead of Gamma Builds, it eclipses most other mods most of the time for most things. Not having enemies shoot you is the one of the biggest DPS gains you can get, because it turns the entire game into a DPS check only. You can tailor your shields, passive bonuses, and everything else into damage while the pet soaks up enemy attention and bullets.

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Yeah for mobbing, shaft and takedowns. Fang. Bosses bounty. Yeah when i am not attacked i am good lol which of course being attacked is the game. it just seems FL4K can’t handle what you would consider a “normal” attack it’s just i am downed. I get up. Downed. Times up. I am not sure how to change that and I guess I am frustrated.

Fl4k can face tank M4 slaughter shaft even with a Rakk build if you know how to set him up.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with his survivability considering how much dmg he dishes out.

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